Terremoto cocktail

Versión en español

Chilean Terremoto is a famous Chile cocktail, especially during national holiday celebrations. The name “Terremoto” translates to “earthquake” in Spanish, referring to the drink’s potency and how it can leave you slightly shaky.

Within the Chilean drinks, the Terremoto is one of the recent appearances. There are many stories about the name and where it was invented. Still, it is undoubtedly a great example of Chilean ingenuity and our culture of not being afraid of tremors. We were born and live with them.

Many times, I look for historical references for our traditional recipes. The National Library’s site “Memoria Chilena” is a highly recommended place to look. There, I found the book “La sazón y el Gusto” (2010) with three traditional menus from three cities in Chile. Santiago’s menu includes a Terremoto cocktail.

In Chile, the Terremoto is made with pipeño. It is unavailable in the US, so I mix white wine with sparkling wine for a similar flavor and light bubbles. Some Chilean natural pipeños are now available in the US but are not suitable varieties for the Terremoto.

You can put the grenadine or fernet at the bottom of the glass or on top of the ice cream. I prefer to do both so the flavor is better distributed and looks pretty.

The traditional Terremoto cocktail is made with just a few ingredients:

• White Wine: A sweet white wine like Moscatel or Pipeño is typically used as the base for this drink.
• Pineapple Ice Cream: This key ingredient gives Terremoto a unique flavor and creamy texture. The pineapple ice cream is responsible for the drink’s cloudy appearance. Pineapple ice cream is also hard to find in the US, so I’m giving you options.
• Grenadine: A sweet and non-alcoholic syrup commonly used in cocktails and mocktails to add a vibrant red color and a hint of sweetness. I used grenadine without artificial colors, so it is not the fiery red one sometimes sees in Chile. You can also use Fernet to give it a different touch.

To prepare a Terremoto, the white wine is poured into a glass, followed by a scoop of pineapple ice cream or two. Finally, a splash of Fernet or grenadine is added on top. The drink is not usually stirred, allowing the flavors to blend as you drink it.

Other Chilean drinks we recommend: Easy pisco sour, borgoña.

Print